Fredericksburg lays claim to Robey's dog treadmill

Monday

Jul 23, 2012 at 4:00 AM

By Paul Locher Staff Writer

FREDERICKSBURG -- A third mill race in Fredericksburg took off from the northern branch of Salt Creek just below the bridge on West Clay Street, near the site of the former Fredericksburg Art Pottery Co.

The race brought water through a field of the Searight farm and between two steep knolls -- the gravel bank near the lower part of the pottery property, and the steep bank near the Crawford Street bridge. It flowed through the field to a large pond just north of the brick plant road, which is the connecting road to the Millersburg and Franklin Township roads.

From this point a race flowed west of the original Searight sawmill that had sawn most of the lumber used in the construction of the town and surrounding area, and ran the water wheel for the later flour mill. The tailrace for this mill continued down to the creek below the mill bridge. The tailrace survived until about 1950, when residents began using it as a landfill and obliterated it with junk.

A secondary race started at the pond and flowed across Millersburg Road in a flume and hence into a smaller pond that had furnished water for Searight's sawmill.

In addition to providing power to run the mills, the races and ponds to which they were connected furnished winter recreation for the residents of Fredericksburg. Both young and old enjoyed skating along the races, especially during the 1880-1890 era.

The races lasted until almost the turn of the 20th century, when Van Buren Sterling bought much of the Searight land from the family's heirs. He moved to Fredericksburg from Holmesville on April 7, 1897 and almost immediately began tearing down the wooden races and filling in the channels.

Since the flour mill had converted to steam power years earlier, the races were no longer actually used. The mill continued its operations until around 1923.

Perhaps one of the more unusual businesses that operated in early Fredericksburg was run by a man named Robey, and it manufactured dog treadmills. The wooden and leather treadmills enabled a family to hook its butter churn or washing machine to it, with the family's dog providing the power by running on the continuous belt.

The revolving treadmill powered a toggle arm which was attached to the churn or washer. It was said that on churning day when the necessary apparatus was being set up, the family dog would invariably disappear.

Early on, Fredericksburg also had three factories that manufactured type used in the printing industry. In 1844 a traveling troupe of performers with Isaac Singer as its leading man came to town, and while there went broke.

Singer, who used the stage name Isaac Merrit, became entranced with the type-making machinery and remained in town to work in the type factory, eventually inventing a machine to do the cutting of wood type. A decade later he invented the Singer sewing machine.

Source: "A History of Fredericksburg and Community" by the Fredericksburg Board of Trade and Ruritan Club

Wednesday: Herr Dreisbach was world famous

Reporter Paul Locher can be reached at 330-682-2055 or plocher@the-daily-record.com.